GParted Manual

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Feedback

To report a bug or make a suggestion regarding the
gparted application or this manual,
follow the directions at
http://gparted.org/bugs.php.

Revision History

Revision GParted Manual V1.9

March 2015

Abstract

GParted is the GNOME Partition Editor for creating,
reorganizing, and deleting disk partitions.
GParted enables you to change the partition organization while preserving
the partition contents.

Caution

Editing partitions has the potential to cause LOSS of DATA.

The gparted application is
designed to enable you to edit partitions while
reducing the risk of data loss.
The application is carefully tested and is used
by the GParted project team.
However, loss of data might occur due to software bugs,
hardware problems, or power failure.

You can help to reduce the risk of data loss by
not mounting or unmounting partitions outside of
the gparted application while
gparted is running.

You are advised to BACKUP your DATA before using
the gparted application.

Getting Started

Starting gparted

You can start gparted in the following ways:

Applications menu

Choose System Tools → GParted Partition Editor.

Command line

Execute the following command: gparted

On startup, gparted will scan your
computer for disk devices.

The gparted Window

When you start gparted, the following
window is displayed:

Figure 1. gparted Window

The gparted window contains the following
elements:

Menubar

The menus on the menubar contain all of the commands you need
to work with disk devices and partitions in
gparted.

Toolbar

The toolbar contains a subset of the commands that you can
access from the menubar.

Graphic Display Area

The graphic display area contains the visual representation
of the partitions on the selected disk device.

Text Display Area

The text display area contains the text list
of the partitions on the selected disk device.

Statusbar

The statusbar displays information about current
gparted activity or the
number of operations pending.

Caution

Many operating systems recognize
gpt and
msdos partition tables, but
do not recognize all types of file systems. This lack
of file system recognition means that using a disk
without a partition table involves more risk. For
example, some operating systems might prompt to format an
unpartitioned disk if the file system is not recognized.

Click Apply to create the new partition table.
The application writes the new partition table to the disk device.
The application refreshes the device partition layout in the
gparted window.

Note

When the full disk scan completes one of two possible
dialogs is displayed:

No file systems found
on /path-to-device

If no file systems are found, you have other options
to try to rescue your data.
The photorec application
is designed to help recover many different types of
lost files. For more information
about photorec, see
http://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/PhotoRec.

Click OK to close the dialog
box, and end this attempt to rescue data.

File systems found
on /path-to-device

If file systems are found, each file system is
displayed in a list along with
a View button. The dialog
will indicate if there are data inconsistencies.
Inconsistencies in the data might prevent you from
viewing the data.

To rescue data, use the following steps for each file system:

Click View to mount and display
the file system. Your default file manager is opened
and displays a read-only view of the file system.

Note

If the dialog Unable to open the default
file manager is displayed, then you
will need to open a file manager and navigate to
the mount point for the file system.

The mount point is shown in the dialog, for
example "/tmp/gparted-roview-XXXXXX".

Click OK to close the
Unable to open the
default file manager dialog.

Use the file manager to copy your data to other
storage media.

When you are finished copying your data, close the
file manager.

When you are finished rescuing data,
click Close to end this attempt to
rescue data. The application umounts any file systems
that were mounted for viewing. Then the application
rescans all the disk devices and refreshes the device
partition layout in the gparted
window.

Working with Partitions

Basic Partition Actions

These actions will not alter partitions on your disk device.

Selecting a Partition

To select a partition, use one of the following:

Click on a partition in the graphic display area.

Click on a partition in the text display area.

The application highlights the partition in both the graphic
display area and the text display area in the
gparted window.

Caution

If you delete a logical partition, then all existing logical
partitions after the deleted logical partition will
experience changes in device names.

For example, an extended partition contains four logical
partitions A, B, C, and D. These logical partitions are accessed by the
operating system as follows:

Partition A as /dev/sda5.

Partition B as /dev/sda6.

Partition C as /dev/sda7.

Partition D as /dev/sda8.

If partition B is deleted, then the remaining logical
partitions will be accessed by the operating system as follows:

Partition A as /dev/sda5.

Partition C as /dev/sda6. Note the change in device name.

Partition D as /dev/sda7. Note the change in device name.

Changes in a device name can cause problems if a
partition is mounted using a device name.
You can avoid the problem by using the file system label or
Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) of
the partition when mounting the partition.

Note

Disks with loop or
none partition tables do not
contain a partition table, and do not contain partitions. A
file system on a disk without a partition table is
represented in GParted by a virtual partition.

To delete the file system and virtual partition, choose
format to cleared.

Warning

On FAT and NTFS file systems, the Volume Serial Number
is used as UUID. Changing the Volume Serial
Number on the Windows system partition, normally C:,
might invalidate the WPA key. An invalid WPA key will
prevent login until you reactivate Windows.

In an attempt to avoid invalidating the WPA key, on
NTFS file systems only half of the UUID is set to a
new random value. On FAT file systems, such a precaution
is not possible.

The WPA key should not be affected by changing the
UUID of data partitions or removable media partitions.
In rare cases, a partition that is present
at boot time might be an exception to this rule.

Warning

Changing the UUID when there is no need to do so might
cause a GNU/Linux system to fail to boot, or to fail
to mount a file system.

Changing the UUID is only required after copying a
partition. The UUID change is needed to prevent
duplicate UUIDs when both the source and the copy of
the partition are used on the same computer.

If boot or mount problems occur you might need to edit
configuration files, such as /etc/fstab, and
regenerate the grub menu to ensure that the correct
UUID is specified.

Specifying Partition Details

Specifying partition details is useful when performing actions
such as create, resize, and move.

Specifying Partition Size and Location

To specify the size and the location of the partition,
use one or a combination of the following:

Click-and-hold the arrow at either end of the graphic area.
Drag the arrow left or right within the display range.

Click-and-hold the middle of the partition in the graphic area.
Drag the partition left or right within the display range.

Click the spin button arrows, or type numeric values
to adjust the following fields:

Free Space Preceding

New Size

Free Space Following

The application refreshes both the graphic area
and the numbers beside the three field labels.

Specifying Partition Alignment

To specify the alignment of the partition, click the
Align to arrow button, and select from the list.

Use MiB alignment for modern
operating systems. This setting aligns partitions to
start and end on precise mebibyte (1,048,576 byte)
boundaries. MiB alignment provides enhanced performance
when used with RAID systems and with Solid State Drives,
such as USB flash drives.

Use Cylinder alignment to maintain
compatibility with operating systems released before the
year 2000, such as DOS. This setting aligns partitions
to start and end on disk cylinder boundaries.

Tip

The Cylinder/Head/Sector values reported by modern
disk devices no longer have a direct physical
relationship to the data stored on the disk device.
Hence it is no longer valid to use this alignment
setting to achieve enhanced performance.

Use None only if you have an
in-depth knowledge of disk structure, partition tables,
and boot records. This setting places partition
boundaries relative to the end of any immediately
preceding partition on the disk device. This setting
is not guaranteed to reserve or respect space required
for boot records.

Specifying Partition Type

To specify the partition type, click the
Create as arrow button, and select from the list.

Note

The msdos partition table limits partitions as follows:

Maximum of 4 primary partitions.

Maximum of 3 primary partitions, and 1 extended partition.

The extended partition can contain multiple logical
partitions.
Some GNU/Linux distributions support accessing at most
15 partitions on a disk device.

Maximum size of a partition is 2 Tebibytes using
a sector size of 512 bytes. The partition must also
start within the first 2 Tebibytes of the disk device.

Tip

Primary partitions provide better data recoverability
because the partition boundaries are stored at known
locations on the disk device.

Specifying Partition File System

To specify the type of file system for the partition, click the
File System arrow button, and select from the list.

Note

Examples of uses for some file systems are as follows:

ext2,
ext3 and
ext4 file systems can be
used for installing GNU/Linux, and for data.

linux-swap can be used with
GNU/Linux to increase the virtual memory of your
computer.

fat16 and
fat32 file systems can be
used to share data between free and commercial
operating systems.

cleared can be used to
clear any existing file system signatures and ensure
that the partition is recognised as empty.

unformatted can be used to
just create a partition without writing a file system.

Specifying Partition File System Label

To specify the file system label in the partition, also known
as a volume label, type a label name in the
Label text box.

Tip

File system labels can be used to help you remember what is
stored in the partition.

Unique labels can be used to mount file systems with the
GNU/Linux operating system.

Advanced Partition Actions

These actions will alter partitions on your disk device.
These actions might modify the start or end boundaries
of your existing partitions.
These actions might cause operating systems to fail to boot.

Resizing a Partition

Resizing and moving a partition can be performed by a single
gparted operation.

Tip

If you do not want the start of an existing partition
to move, then do not change the free space
preceding value. If the partition is
mounted or otherwise active, then you will not be able
to change the free space
preceding value.

Tip

To grow or move a partition, unallocated space must be available adjacent
to the partition.

If you are growing a logical partition, then the unallocated space
must be within the extended partition.

If you are growing a primary partition, then the unallocated space
must not be within the extended partition.

You can move unallocated space to be inside or outside of the
extended partition by resizing the extended partition boundaries.

Tip

To improve the ability to shrink NTFS partitions, you
might consider one or more of the following:

Defragment the file system.

Booting into Safe Mode with the
commercial operating system that uses NTFS
can improve the ability to defragment
the file system.
To enter Safe Mode press F8
while your computer is booting
the operating system.

Check the partition for errors with the following command:

C:> chkdsk /f /r

Remember to reboot back into the commercial operating system
that uses NTFS to allow the chkdsk command
to execute.

Temporarily disable the paging file.
The paging file occupies a fixed location
in the partition that the defragmentation
process is unable to move.

Temporarily move large files to another partition
or disk device. Large files are defined as greater
than a few hundred Megabytes (MB).

Ensure a proper shut down of the commercial operating
system that uses NTFS before you resize the NTFS
partition

Leave at least 10 percent unused space in the NTFS partition.
If you shrink the partition too much,
then the commercial operating system might have difficulty
functioning properly.

Reboot twice into the commercial operating system that
uses NTFS after shrinking the NTFS partition.

Moving a Partition

Moving and resizing a partition can be performed by a single
gparted operation.

Caution

The copy of the partition has the same file system label
and Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) as the source
partition.
This can cause a problem when booting, or when mount actions
use the file system label or UUID to identify the partition.

The problem is that the operating system will randomly
select to mount either the source, or the copy of the
partition. For example, on the first mount action the
source partition might be mounted. On the next mount action
the copy of the partition might be mounted. Over time this
random nature of partition mounting might make files seem to
mysteriously appear or disappear depending upon which
partition is mounted. Random mounting of the source or the
copy of the partition might also cause severe data
corruption or loss.

After you have applied the copy operation, delete or
reformat the source partition.

Use some other method to ensure that the source
partition and the copy of the partition are not used
on the same computer at the same time. For example,
if the copy of the partition is on a separate drive
then remove the drive from the computer.

Note

Boot is used by some commercial operating system
boot loaders.
The boot flag indicates the partition is active
or bootable.
Only one partition on a disk device can be active.

Diag is used to indicate the partition is used for
diagnostics / recovery.

Hidden is used by some commercial operating systems.
The hidden flag makes the partition invisible to the
operating system.

LBA is used by some commercial operating system
boot loaders.
The LBA flag indicates the partition should be
accessed using Logical Block Addressing (LBA), instead
of Cylinder-Head-Sector (CHS) addressing.

LVM is used to indicate the partition is used by a
Logical Volume Manager (LVM).

Palo is used by the Precision Architecture -
Reduced Instruction Set Computing (PA-RISC)
boot loader, palo.

Prep is used to indicate the boot partition
on Power Performance Computing (PowerPC) hardware.

RAID is used to indicate the partition is used in a
Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID).

Note

A description of flags in a gpt partition table follows:

Atvrecv is used to indicate an Apple TV Recovery
partition.

BIOS_GRUB indicates a BIOS boot partition often used
by the GRUB 2 boot loader.

Boot is used by some commercial operating system
boot loaders.
The boot flag indicates the partition is active
or bootable.
Only one partition on a disk device can be active.

Diag indicates the partition is used for diagnostics
or recovery.

Hidden is used by some commercial operating systems.
The hidden flag makes the partition invisible to the
operating system.

HP-service is used to indicate a Hewlett Packard
service partition.

Legacy_boot is used by some special purpose software
to indicate the partition might be bootable.

LVM indicates the partition is used by a Logical
Volume Manager (LVM).

Msftres is used to indicate a Microsoft Reserved
partition.

RAID indicates the partition is used in a Redundant
Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID).

Checking a Partition

Checking a partition will attempt to find and fix problems
in the file system.
Checking a partition will attempt to grow the file system
to fill the partition.

Working with the Operation Queue

Undoing Last Operation

To undo the last operation in the operation queue, choose:
Edit → Undo Last Operation.
The application removes the last operation from the queue
displayed in the Pending Operations pane.
If there are no operations remaining in the queue,
the application closes the
Pending Operations pane.

Clearing All Operations

To clear all operations in the operation queue, choose:
Edit → Clear All Operations.
The application removes all operations from the queue
and closes the Pending Operations pane.

Applying All Operations

Caution

Editing partitions has the potential to cause LOSS of DATA.
You are advised to backup your data before applying your
partition editing operations.

Click Apply.
The application displays an
Applying pending operations dialog.
The application applies each pending operation
in the order you created the operations.
The application displays a status update when each
operation is completed.

To view more information,
click Details.
The application displays more details about operations.

To view more information about the steps in each operation,
click the arrow button beside each step.

To stop the operations while they are executing,
click Cancel.
The application displays a disabled
Force Cancel (5) button and
counts down for 5 seconds.

Note

Cancel instructs the
application to stop or roll back operations
as necessary to ensure data integrity.

If operations have not halted after 5 seconds the
application enables the Force
Cancel button.

To force the operations to stop, click
Force Cancel.
The application displays a warning dialog.

Click Continue Operation to
allow the roll back operations to complete, or
click Cancel Operation to
cancel the roll back operations.

Warning

Cancel Operation
terminates the safe roll back of operations and
might cause SEVERE file system damage and data
loss. You are advised to click
Continue Operation to
allow the roll back to complete.

When the application finishes performing operations,
the application displays the
Save Details button and the
Close button.

If you want to save the details from applying all operations,
then click Save Details.
The application displays a Save Details
dialog.

If you want to change the default file name,
then type a file name in the
Name text box.

If you want to save the file in a folder
different than /root,
Click Browse for other folders.
The application displays a file system navigator.

Use the file system navigator to select a folder.

Click Save to save the file.
The application saves the details file.

Caution

If you use gparted from a Live CD, then
the root file system exists in RAM memory. All files saved
to the Live CD root file system will be lost when you shut down
the computer.

If you saved the gparted details to the Live CD root file system,
then you need to copy the file to more permanent storage.
Examples of more permanent storage are a hard disk drive
or a USB flash memory drive.

Click Close.
The application closes the
Applying pending operations dialog.
The application rescans all the disk devices and refreshes the device
partition layout in the gparted window.

Acquiring GParted on Live CD

A Live CD is a Compact Disc that contains a bootable operating system.
A Live CD enables you to boot your computer from the CD.

Using gparted from a Live CD
has the following advantages:

You can edit all of your partitions
because the partitions are not mounted.

You can edit partitions on computers that
do not have a bootable operating system.

The gparted application is available on many
Live CD distributions.

You can download a Live CD image containing
gparted from the following web sites:

If your computer does not use GRUB then you are advised to consult
documentation for your boot loader to learn how to fix the
problem.
You might consult the
GParted FAQ,
or the
GParted forum.
You might also search the Internet to learn how other people have
solved similar problems.

Fixing GRUB boot problem

The Grand Unified Boot loader (GRUB) is used by many GNU/Linux
distributions. To fix GRUB boot problems you start by
determining which major version of GRUB was used.

There are two major versions of GRUB:

GRUB, also known as GRUB 2, covers versions 1.98 and
higher. GRUB 2 works with both GUID partition tables
(GPT) and msdos partition tables.

GRUB 2 is used as the default boot loader in the following
GNU/Linux distributions:

CentOS 7 and higher

Debian 6 (Squeeze) and higher

Fedora 16 (Verne) and higher

openSUSE 12.2 and higher

Ubuntu 9.10 (Karmic Koala) and higher

If you are unsure whether your computer uses GRUB 2 or GRUB
Legacy, you might try searching for the answer on the Internet.

Restoring GRUB 2 Boot Loader

Use the following steps to restore the GRUB 2 boot loader:

Boot from Live media such as GParted Live or your
GNU/Linux distribution image. Open a terminal window.

Determine which partition contains the / file system for
your GNU/Linux distribution.

Use GParted to list the partitions on your disk device.
Look for a partition that contains your GNU/Linux / file
system. This Linux partition will likely use a file
system such as ext2, ext3, ext4, or btrfs.

Note

If the / partition is on LVM then the Logical Volume
Manager must be active. LVM can be started with the
command:

# vgchange -a y

With LVM, the equivalent of a disk partition is a
Logical Volume. Logical Volumes can be listed with
the command:

# lvscan

Note

If the / partition is on RAID, then the RAID must be
active. Linux Software RAID can be started with the
command:

# mdadm --assemble --scan

Create a mount point directory by entering (as root):

# mkdir /tmp/mydir

Mount the / partition on the mount point directory. For
example assume the / file system is contained in the
/dev/sda5 partition. Enter (as root):

# mount/dev/sda5 /tmp/mydir

If you have a separate /boot partition, for example at
/dev/sda3, then an extra step is required. Mount the
/boot partition at /tmp/mydir/boot by entering (as
root):

# mount/dev/sda3 /tmp/mydir/boot

Note

If you do not know whether you have a separate boot
partition then you probably do not and can ignore this
step.

Prepare to change the root environment by entering (as
root):

# mount --bind /dev /tmp/mydir/dev

# mount --bind /proc /tmp/mydir/proc

# mount --bind /sys /tmp/mydir/sys

Change the root environment by entering (as root):

# chroot /tmp/mydir

Reinstall GRUB 2 on the boot device. Note that the
device name is used and not the partition name. For
example, if the / partition is /dev/sda5 then the device
is /dev/sda.

For Debian, Ubuntu, and other offshoot GNU/Linux
distributions, enter the command (as root):